The problem with venue websites
Most read like brochures: a slideshow, a paragraph of adjectives, and the capacity buried three clicks deep. Couples shortlist from a phone late at night and need to answer one question quickly. Could our day happen here?
Thornbury also had a specific challenge. It is expensive, exclusive and hired for three days at a time, which needs to feel like an invitation rather than a velvet rope.
What we did instead
We structured the whole site as numbered plates, one per space, each with its own photograph, short description and the practical numbers set right there in the open. Seated ninety. Licensed yes. Curfew one.
Typography does the rest. A single serif at scale, enormous white space, and a nav that inverts against whatever is behind it. Restraint reads as confidence, which is exactly the proposition.
Each space gets a plate with its capacity and constraints stated plainly. A couple can scan three spaces in twenty seconds and know whether the venue fits.
Numbers, catering policy, accessibility, curfew and cost. Hiding the price wastes everyone's time, including the venue's.
The Friday, Saturday and Sunday laid out in sequence, so the three day hire feels generous rather than expensive.
Full-bleed plates between sections, unencumbered by text. The estate is the product.
That is where shortlists are actually made, usually with a partner leaning over a shoulder.
Structured so both search engines and AI assistants can answer questions about capacity, location and licensing.
Shall we design one for you?
If this is the way you would like your work presented, we would love to hear from you.
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